Putting Plants in Your Bedroom Can Improve Your Sleep

Do you struggle to sleep enough or to get good rest at night? Do you feel like you’ve tried everything to sleep better, and nothing helps? There may be one helpful move that you probably haven’t tried, simply because it is not widely known about or talked about.

If you aren’t resting well, or you’d like to sleep better, try putting plants in your bedroom. Sure, it may sound crazy, but plants can soothe your mind and help remove pollutants from the air in your room. If you love plants, or you’ve tried everything else, and you still can’t sleep, you don’t have anything to lose from adding some greenery to your bedroom.

Plants That Clear the Air

NASA did a study on houseplants that help clean your air. They found that some commonly raised indoor plants can make your air cleaner. You may not think that this would affect your sleep, but these pollutants could be irritating your body at night. Remove them, and you may sleep better.

Scientists tested a whole host of plants, and you may not even need to make a trip to the store to get them. Some of the most efficient at removing pollution include:

Spider plants

Gerbera daisies

English ivy

Peace Lilies

Bamboo palms

If you don’t have them, you can buy most of these at your local nursery. You may want to get several plants, both to make your bedroom look better and because some of them are more efficient at handling certain pollutants than others.

Plants Help You Rest

Studies show that natural views, time spent in gardens, and even photos of natural scenes, can all help hospital patients heal faster, all while feeling significantly less pain and taking less medication. If people who are undergoing the massive kind of stress that can come with being in a hospital are helped by greenery, plants can probably help you, too.

Make sure that you have the right kind of greenery, though. People respond better when it is lush, rather than sparse. You may want to set up an entire corner with several plants. Either place it right next to your bed or sit on a chair and look at it for a few minutes before bed. You could also get up close and personal with your plants, sticking your face into them and inhaling deeply for a few breaths. This infusion of greenery should help you relax so you can sleep better.

If you can’t put plants in your room, maybe because you are allergic, or your landlord forbids it, find some lush landscapes to look at, instead. They may not help as much, but they should still help improve your sleep.

Plants not only make your bedroom look great, but they can bring peace and ease to your body and mind, as well as working to remove some common air pollutants that may be keeping you awake at night. If you don’t have anything green in your bedroom, try adding something and see if it helps you get the sleep you crave.

Samantha Kent is a researcher for SleepHelp.org. Her favorite writing topic is how getting enough sleep can improve your life. Currently residing in Boise, Idaho, she sleeps in a California King bed, often with a cat on her face.